In general, for example, in a three-dimensional product design (3D product design) carried out in a product development process of an electronic set manufacturer, a co-design manner wherein the design is allowed to go forward while associating an electrical packaging design conducted by using a two-dimensional CAD system (2D CAD system) with a mechanism and exterior design conducted by using a three-dimensional CAD system (3D CAD system) is adopted.
Incidentally, in a conventional co-design manner, the design parameters used in a three-dimensional CAD system applied in the mechanism and exterior design process (hereinafter referred optionally to as “three-dimensional mechanism CAD system”) and the design parameters used in a two-dimensional CAD system applied in the electric packaging design process (hereinafter referred optionally to as “two-dimensional electric CAD system”) are stored in one file under an integrated and centralized condition as three-dimensional mechanism data (3D mechanism data) and two-dimensional electric data (2D electric data), and they are managed in a condition wherein their own identification numbers (IDs) are assigned.
Accordingly, a mechanism designer who handles the three-dimensional mechanism CAD system and an electrical designer who handles the two-dimensional electric CAD system log on to the same numbering system, respectively; they are registered in a condition wherein their own required IDs are acquired, respectively; and afterwards, they put the design process into practice under the condition wherein they are managed on the integrated and centralized system.
In the above-described conventional management pattern, the constitution itself of the managing system of the design parameters in the three-dimensional mechanism CAD system and the two-dimensional electric CAD system is exactly unified. Thus, there is such an advantage that costs for the system architecture may be reduced, and in addition, the maintenance process therefor can be simplified as compared with the case wherein the three-dimensional mechanism CAD system has an independent managing system from that of the two-dimensional electric CAD system.
In the above-described conventional management pattern, however, involves such a problem that it is too poor in the flexibility as a system for backing up the whole processes carried out in originally different purposes of mechanism and exterior design and an electric packaging design as a result of unifying all the design parameters of the three-dimensional mechanism CAD system and the two-dimensional electric CAD system.
More specifically, in the above-described conventional management pattern, for example, design parameters suitable for creating a design in a state wherein the three-dimensional mechanism CAD system is independent from the two-dimensional electric CAD system must be kept under integrated management. In these circumstances, a numbering operation is conducted only for the purpose of creating a file and, thereafter, a copy of the file created in the numbering operation is separately stored and administered under a local machine directory, and after completing the design administered under a local directory and created under integrated management, the file stored and managed under the local machine directory is replaced by the file created in the above-described numbering operation.
Moreover, the above-described conventional management pattern involves such a problem that even a design product having no shared relationship between the three-dimensional mechanism CAD system and the two-dimensional electric CAD system so that they are independent from one another to be possible to complete early the design (hereinafter referred optionally to as “non-shared design product”), since there is no concept as to a shared/a non-shared relationship between the three-dimensional mechanism CAD system and the two-dimensional electric CAD system is dependent on the design completion of a design product having a shared relationship between the three-dimensional mechanism CAD system and the two-dimensional electric CAD system (hereinafter optionally referred to as “shared design product”), and thus, it results in prolongation of the time for completing the design of the whole product design.
It is to be noted that since the prior art known by the present applicant at the time of filing this application is the one as described in the above paragraphs and it is not the invention relating to that described in publicly known literary documents, there is no prior art technology information to be described herein.